172 Central Avenue.Pdf

Planner: K. Gonyou Report to London Advisory Committee on Heritage To: Chair and Members London Advisory Committee on Heritage From: John M. Fleming Managing Director, Planning and City Planner Subject: Demolition Request for Heritage Listed Property at 172 Central Avenue by G., P., & C. Mitsis Meeting on: Wednesday July 11, 2018 Recommendation That, on the recommendation of the Managing Direct, Planning & City Planner, with the advice of the Heritage Planner, with respect to the request for the demolition of the heritage listed property located at 172 Central Avenue, that notice BE GIVEN under the provisions of Section 29(3) of the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. O. 18, of Municipal Council’s intention to designate the property at 172 Central Avenue to be of cultural heritage value or interest for the reasons outlined in Appendix D of this report. Executive Summary Summary of Request A demolition request for the heritage listed property located at 172 Central Avenue was submitted. Purpose and the Effect of Recommended Action The purpose of the recommended action is for Municipal Council to issue its notice of intent to designate the property under Section 29(3) of the Ontario Heritage Act with the effect of preventing the demolition of this cultural heritage resource. Rationale of Recommended Action Staff completed an evaluation of the property at 172 Central Avenue using the criteria of O. Reg. 9/06 and found that the property has significant cultural heritage value or interest and merits designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. Analysis 1.0 Background 1.1 Property Location The property at 172 Central Avenue is located on the north side of Central Avenue between St. George Street and Richmond Street (Appendix A). 1.2 Cultural Heritage Status The property has been included on the Inventory of Heritage Resources since 1987. The Inventory of Heritage Resources was adopted as the Register pursuant to Section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act in 2007. The property at 172 Central Avenue is identified as a Priority 1 resource, and also identifies the Italianate style of the building built circa 1883. The property is considered to have potential cultural heritage value or interest. 1.3 Description The building located at 172 Central Avenue is a two storey brick house with an elevated brick and stone foundation (Appendix B). The building has an ell shaped footprint; wide across the front (south) façade at Central Avenue with a rear wing at the west end of the property. The building is capped by a shallow pitched hip roof. The building has two buff brick chimneys (which appear to have been rebuilt) which flank the east and west slopes of the roof. Paired and single brackets emphasize the deepness of the eaves. Planner: K. Gonyou The building has a symmetrical façade. It is comprised of three bays, with the central bay slightly projecting. This is emphasized by a gable peak in the roof, with a round louvered opening, or oculus, in the attic storey. On the main floor, the entry door is located in the central bay. The door itself appears to have been replaced, but is still a wood door with lights in the upper third. A fluted wood entablature has been applied to the exterior of the front entry, which is not believed to be original. Two-over-two wood windows are located in the bays flanking the entry door, as well as in the upper storey. Window openings are emphasized by the radiating brick voussoirs which form the segmented arch of the opening. Most windows feature louvered wooden shutters, affixed to the façade, which maintain the segmented arch shape of their openings. Brickwork detailing is also found on the painted brick masonry in the four-course string course, a projecting course for the frieze band, quoins corners of the building, and at the basement level. The building has grand proportions. The basement is approximately eight feet in height, which is unusual for historic buildings. The main storey has ceilings nearly 12 feet in height, with 14 feet ceilings in the upper storey. This is very unusual for a private home. Because of the building’s elevated basement, the main entry is accessed via a pair of staircases which lend a formal approach to the main door. These wooden steps feature a metal railing, which is not original, but contributes to the formal sense of approach to the main entry door. The building is set on the middle of the property, with a semi-circular driveway accessed by two entrances off of Central Avenue. The driveway is gravel, and the island which is created by the driveway is landscaped. The building was formerly flanked by garages to each side, which were removed in late autumn 2017. All that remains of the interior is a small portion of the robust egg-and-dart plaster moulding and two marble fireplaces. The remainder of the building has been gutted to expose its structure. The building has an unusual structure. Previous reports on this building indicated it had a triple wythe brick structure, which would have been typical for its 1880s construction. However, a structural review by Santarelli Engineering Services (report, dated May 25, 2018) identified a very unusual structural type for this building. The structure was described as: The existing 2 storey century home consists of rubble foundations, 2 wythes of clay bricks at the perimeter and with interior wood floor framing. The brick wythes are separated by a 2” cavity with the interior wood framing bearing on the interior wythe of brick. The existing floors are framed using a mixture of conventional wood framing with timber joists at the rear and non-conventional cantilevered timber joists at the front. The connections are predominantly friction fit. At the time of the review, the supporting structure including floor joists, roof rafters and load bearing walls were exposed. Sample penetrations were made in the existing brick for review (Santarelli Engineering Services, Structural Review Private Residence at 172 Central Avenue, report dated May 25, 2018). This structure type is unusual. Additionally, individual timber members have evidence of fire damage or charring. 1.4 Property History Euro-Canadian history of the subject property begins with John Kent, who purchased a 200-acre plot in 1824 (Lot 2, east of the Wharncliffe Highway, or Lot 15, Concession I of the former London Township). This included the land from Carling Street to John Street, between Richmond Street and across the Thames River to the Wharncliffe Highway (Armstrong 1990). John Street and Kent Street are named for John Kent (Priddis 1909); Planner: K. Gonyou Lichfield (Litchfield) Street was originally named for John Kent’s Staffordshire home (London Public Library). Lichfield Street was renamed Central Avenue in about 1898. The subject property was included in the 1840 annexation, or “new survey,” of the City of London. Maps from the 1840s show no surveyed lots or roads open north of Market Street (now Albert Street). By the 1850s, more of the Kent Farm was being subdivided for development in anticipation of the arrival of the railroad, and a portion including the subject property was sold to D. B. Strathy. Registered Plan 118(W) was registered in 1856. However, it was unlikely it inspired much development as London plunged into a deep recession in 1857 that continued into the 1860s (Armstrong 1986, 83-85). Information from the City Directory indicates that the lots remains vacant, with most development occurring in the surrounding area during the 1870s-1880s. The subject property at 172 Central Avenue was is recorded in the streets directory of the City Directory (1881-1882) as “vacant;” however, the business directory records its occupant, Dr. Oronhyatekha (see Section 1.4.1). A building is also recorded on the property in the 1881, revised 1888 Fire Insurance Plan (see Appendix C, Figure 3). With this information, the construction of the building is dated as circa 1882. The building located at 172 Central Avenue has charred timbers used in its construction. This charring is not found in specific areas of the building, but spread throughout. This suggests that the timbers weren’t burnt in their present installation, but as a previous structure (see Appendix B, Image 7). In February 1879, the Carling & Co. Brewery burnt (Brock 2011, 110). It is believed that timbers salvaged from the damaged Carling Brewery were reused in the construction of the building at 172 Central Avenue. The subject property was subsequently included in Registered Plan 238 (W) for C. W. Kent Estate and Others in 1891. This Registered Plan renumbered the lots, and created the lot fabric seen in the landscape today. The subject property was featured in the London Free Press in the article, “Escape March of Progress: Pioneer Homes Stand Firm” (June 30, 1962) (see Appendix B, Image 1). The then property owners, Mr. & Mrs. F. Boulton, were noted for their efforts to hire an English craftsman to restore the original ornate ceiling building. The property is also associated with Tony Urquhart (b.1934), who lived at 172 Central Avenue from 1968 until 1972. Tony Urquhart was the first Artist-in-Residence at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University). He is the co-founder of the Canadian Artist Representation/Frontes des Artistes Canadiens, and is known for his distinctive “box” style of paintings and sculptures as one of Canada’s pioneering abstractionists. He was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1995. 1.4.1 Dr. Oronhyatekha Dr. Oronhyatekha: Security, Justice, and Equality (2016), the recently published book by Keith Jamieson and Michelle A. Hamilton, comprehensively articulates Dr.

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